At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, one of the best amenities for the athletes might be the bullpen car being used during Olympic baseball games.
The car, equipped with a chauffeur, a digital display board on the front and a baseball glove throne, has been quite the hit for relief pitchers entering Olympic games. Team USA reliever Ryder Ryan got to take a ride early Friday during the Americans' 8-1 win over Israel in their first game of the tournament.
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Commuting to work in style. ⚾️#TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/llQEUbhcBd
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) July 30, 2021
In 1960, Cleveland was the first major league team to use a car to bring relief pitchers to the mound. The bullpen car, sometimes not much more than a glorified golf cart, was a staple in MLB from 1950 to 1995. The New York Yankees, at one time, used a pinstriped Datsun 1200 as their bullpen car.
Read more: Israeli baseball causes trouble wrecking beds
In one of its many efforts to improve pace of play, MLB discussed bringing back bullpen cars. In 2018, the Arizona Diamondbacks were the first team to bring the bullpen car back.
